(Reuters) -A group of independent U.S. vaccine experts said on Thursday it plans to review existing data on administering the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, after a federal panel postponed a September vote on delaying the first dose of the shot.
The Vaccine Integrity Project, an initiative dedicated to safeguarding vaccine use in the United States, said it plans to complete the review of the data supporting long-standing recommendation for universal hepatitis B vaccination by early December.
A panel of vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chosen by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had tabled a vote in September that would have delayed the first hepatitis B vaccine dose by at least one month in women who test negative for the virus.
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The review will examine decades of research on the safety, effectiveness and public health impact of administering the first dose of hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth.
The analysis will also assess potential consequences of deferring the dose, including gaps in maternal screening and infant coverage.
(Reporting by Sneha S K and Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
